Don’t Hold That Hit!
by Mark Mathew Braunstein
All drugs pose risks. And all smoke poses risks. Smoke up a drug, and you’ve stirred up some double trouble. While cannabis is a natural herb, intentionally inhaling its smoke is an unnatural act. Even as an herbal remedy that can benefit a long list of ailments, its smoke can compromise your health. Smoke in any quantity and from any source irritates the respiratory tract. No smoke and mirrors can fool your lungs. Even incense, which fools the nose, fouls the lungs.
Fortunately, there are many ways to make smoking less harmful. While health tips for cannabis smokers could fill an entire book, the number one safeguard is also the easiest. You don’t need to do anything more than what you’re already doing. In fact, you need to do something less. After you inhale the smoke or the vape, do not hold it in! It’s that simple! When you hold your breath, you put your health on hold. So, don’t hold that hit!
It’s no coincidence that, if you cough, it’s usually on that hold. So breathe naturally and normally, almost as though you were not smoking. Inhale and exhale casually, without fanfare or deliberation. Even tobacco smokers, who may sometimes inhale long and deep drags, seldom hold it in. If they always held their breath the way that most cannabis smokers do, tobacco smokers would all be dead. So take it easy and breathe easy.
When your shaman or mentor or friend first turned you on to pot, your cannabis coach probably instructed you to inhale deeply and to hold that toke. Such an unfamiliar and unnatural way of breathing may have contributed to your failure to get high on that first try or two. In 1992, while on the presidential campaign trail, Bill Clinton admitted that during his college years, “I experimented with marijuana … and didn't inhale.” While he was lying that he didn’t inhale, he more accurately could have claimed that he couldn’t inhale. Clinton might have failed because the forced technique of intentionally inhaling smoke and then holding it in was so unnatural and unknown to him. And unnatural and contrary to healthy human physiology for all of us, too.
Once you fill your lungs with smoke-filled air, holding your breath promotes no further absorption of the cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are quickly absorbed by the lungs. Tars are absorbed more slowly. Holding your breath only promotes more intake of tars, and therefore more irritation to your lungs. During the early 1990s, several scientific studies proved that “breathhold duration” does not affect the absorption of cannabinoids nor the consequent intensity of the high or of the relief for smokers.
If you remain skeptical, conduct some animal experiments, the animal being you. Measure two equal doses of your stash. Smoke one dose your usual way. Then wait two days to clear your head, and smoke the second dose without holding in your hits. Did you feel the same high or achieve the same relief? If so, Your Honor, I rest my case.
If some diehards cling to the practice of holding their hits, it is because they associate lightheadedness as part of their high. Holding your breath, with or without smoke, causes a reduction of oxygen reaching your brain. The havoc wreaked upon your brain cells is called hypoxia. Even without smoking, if you hold your breath long enough, the oxygen deprivation will make you feel giddy or dizzy. If they want to really knock themselves out, they can also hyperventilate. Hyperventilation, too, makes you feel lightheaded.
Some smokers firmly believe that, until they cough, they will not have inhaled enough smoke to make them high. They anticipate coughing as their signal that they have smoked enough. Actually, coughing signals that they have smoked too much. While coughing may expand the lungs, that is only because it has irritated them.
For a more healthful way of expanding lung capacity, try improved techniques of breathing. Singers, wind instrumentalists, free divers, and yogis practice it. You can read entire books devoted just to the subject of how to breathe. Or get off your butt and engage in some physical exercise, especially aerobics such as walking, swimming, rowing, biking, or running. Just about any activity except for staring into a cellphone or sitting around smoking a joint.
What Is the Endocannabinoid System and What Does It Do?
Author: Tim Shu, DVM
The endocannabinoid system (or ECS for short). It’s a mouthful – I know. But if we break it down it makes a lot more sense. “Endo” means within the body, and cannabinoid refers to groups of molecules like the ones found in the cannabis plant, such as CBD and THC. At this point you might be wondering, does this system interact with those plant cannabinoids? Yes, and it also creates its own cannabinoids! In order to function normally our body has to produce cannabinoids similar to what are found in the cannabis plant.
This system is a major body system, alongside other body systems such as the cardiovascular system, the nervous system, and the digestive system, to name a few. While the other body systems have been known about for quite some time and were discovered a while ago, the endocannabinoid system is unique in that it was only recently discovered, and we know far less about it compared to the other systems.
All vertebrae animals have an endocannabinoid system, and many invertebrates do as well. This means mammals (such as humans, dogs, cats, horses, and rabbits), birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians all have the potential to benefit from cannabinoid therapeutics.
Since the mid 1900’s, scientists have known that cannabinoids in cannabis are responsible for many of the effects of the plant. However, what they didn’t know was why cannabinoids like THC caused a “high”.
Components
The breakthrough happened in 1988, when a cell receptor was found which THC binds to. This receptor was named CB1, and at that point the story of the endocannabinoid system began to unfold, along with a new chapter in the understanding of our biology.
Shortly afterwards in 1992, anandamide was discovered. This represented another breakthrough in our understanding of the endocannabinoid system as it was the first endocannabinoid discovered, meaning a cannabinoid produced by our own bodies. Over the next few years, another cannabinoid receptor, CB2, was discovered, and another endocannabinoid, 2-AG, was also found.
Additionally, the enzymes that make and break down endocannabinoids were discovered. These breakthroughs gave us a better understanding of the three components that make up the endocannabinoid system: receptors, endocannabinoids, and their associated enzymes.
Function
Initially, the endocannabinoid system was thought to only be located in certain parts of the body. CB1 receptors were found in the central nervous system, and CB2 receptors were found in immune cells. But as scientists investigate further, just about everywhere they look, they find the endocannabinoid system present, from the digestive tract, to skin, muscles, and organs. We now know the endocannabinoid system exists throughout the body. But what does it do?
The primary function of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain a balanced state in the body. This is known as homeostasis. Simply put, it prevents there from being too much or too little of something. It helps keep things in a state of “just right”, and it does this for a wide range of functions, including sleep, pain, mood, memory, metabolism, inflammation, and even reproduction.
Implications
Because the endocannabinoid system is involved in so many different functions, there’s a lot of potential for medical benefits or modification of disease processes through interaction with the endocannabinoid system. For example, it’s been shown that activation of CB1 receptors results in decreased pain, and pain relief is one of the most commonly reported uses of cannabis in humans, and increasingly in animals.
Studies performed in lab animals, human patients, and animal patients, have shown cannabinoids like CBD and THC have a broad range of potential therapeutic benefits, such as analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, antispasmodic, antiepileptic, and neuroprotective effects.
An increased understanding of the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoids has led to a new, rapidly-growing category of medicine, known as cannabinoid therapeutics. While primarily focused on plant-based cannabinoids, this category can also encompass other compounds that interact with the endocannabinoid system to produce therapeutic results, such as decreasing the rate of reuptake or breakdown of endocannabinoids like anandamide.
The endocannabinoid system is a relatively new discovery, and arguably one of the most fascinating medical discoveries within our lifetime because of the therapeutic implications. Knowledge surrounding the endocannabinoid system and cannabinoid therapeutics is growing at a rapid pace, and we’re learning more about how cannabinoids and interaction with the endocannabinoid system can be used to improve health.
Although a lot more remains to be discovered, one thing is for sure: our current understanding represents the tip of a very large iceberg, and the more we learn about this fascinating system, the more lives, both human and animal, can be improved through cannabinoid therapeutics.
Mastering The Cannabis Craft : Environmental Controls For Indoor Grows
By Danny Murr-Sloat
From years of cultivating craft cannabis at AlpinStash, I’ve learned that a proper growing environment is critical to a healthy garden. Yet, it’s often one of the last aspects facilities invest in and implement. I recommend professional cultivators place primary importance on creating the optimal environment for their plants. Properly integrating environmental controls--temperature, humidity, air movement and filtration, CO2 enrichment, and insulation--dramatically affects the success of your harvest. Here are some core tips to begin navigating this aspect of cultivation.
Temperature ControlYou must be able to easily control the temperature of your grow, on both the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights. When using CO2 enrichment (as I discuss below) optimal leaf surface temperature is around 85 degrees. Night temperatures shouldn’t dip below 75 degrees. I recommend at least half a ton of cooling per 1000 watts of non-ducted HID light used. Add at least 10 percent more cooling than you think you need. It's much better to have it and never use it, than to need it during that critical time in bud development and not have it. Many try to slide by with a minimal amount of cooling, either planning to add more as needed (which can be a lengthy, expensive and messy prospect and is usually required in a pinch) or hope to deal with the heat issues that will inevitably arise. This approach leaves the grow open to many issues, which reduces both quality and yield.
Symptoms of heat-stress: Photosynthesis tapers off dramatically when leaf surface temperatures climb above 85 degrees and completely stops in the upper 90s. In this scenario, your plants won't grow. New growth and buds fox-tail, twist, warp and becomes wispy. Less terpenes, flavonoids and cannabinoids are produced. The chance for pests and diseases to thrive are increased. Many pests, including spider mites, thrive in a hot grow room, reproducing more rapidly in the warmth.
While proper heating is much easier and cheaper to achieve than cooling, it still needs to be factored in. The bottom line: paying for an energy efficient and overpowered AC system properly designed for your growing space from the get go will lower your cost per pound. Your yields will go up, maybe even by 30 percent or more, and makes the difference between a successful harvest and a failed one. Be sure to have your heating and cooling systems serviced on a regular basis and replace filters every three months.
Humidity ControlHumidity, along with temperature, dictates how much a plant is respiring, which dictates growth, photosynthesis and the uptake of nutrients and water. Like proper heating and cooling, controlling the humidity is crucial to optimal plant health, yield and quality. In most cases, commercial grows need to remove humidity rather than create it. Sometimes the AC system can handle the dehumidification requirements when it's running. However, AC systems do not usually run at night. That alone is often not enough. There are many different dehumidifiers on the market. Compact units can be used to control the humidity in a smaller space. Or, multiple small units can be used to control the humidity in larger areas. Plumb them into a condensate line or floor drain. Or, place them over a rolling Brute trash can, which acts as a reservoir for the reclaimed water. These make great portable dehumidifiers. Dump the reservoir every day or two to prevent flooding. Larger commercial units are often fixed in place and run off of a 240 volt line. I run a Surna 300 PPD dehumidifier and have had good luck with it.
Air Movement and FiltrationAir movement helps prevent micro-climates, reduces heat build ups, prevents stagnant air, reduces molds and mildews, dissuades pests and strengthens plants. It’s important that all areas of the grow space have some form of air movement -- no dead spaces. In general, plants like a moderate breeze. Blasting plants with fans causes wind burn, leaving buds dry and crispy. Strategically placing wall-mounted oscillating fans is a sensible practice. Adequate air movement throughout the foliage helps prevent fungal diseases such as powdery mildew and bud rot from attacking the plant and dissuades soil borne pests like fungus gnats from taking hold. Plus, the swaying of the branches strengthens the plants. Since heat builds up the most directly below the light, adequate air movement at the canopy and between the lights keep the plants cool and happy.
Filtration can be broken down into two areas: odor control and sterilization. Many municipalities require odor control. Some areas tolerate a certain level of smell while others don’t allow any at all. Charcoal filters and inline fans, constantly scrubbing the air, work well to control the scent of cannabis. The key is to not duct any inside air outside. My setup (multiple 48 inch by 12 inch filters with 10 inch inline fans) scrubs the entire room multiple times a minute. Ionic cleaners are tempting as they do a good job at controlling odor and cleaning the air in one go, but they can kill the aroma of the buds.
Often overlooked, air sterilization can save a harvest from mold. UV sterilizers are the most effective. Units can be freestanding filters, or can be incorporated into AC systems. All of my air intakes and AC ducts have UV sterilizing units in them. I went with a simple Honeywell UV100E2009 SmartLamp Ultraviolet Air Treatment System. It's important to note that these can sometimes leak UV light into the grow area, which could negatively affect the plants during the night cycle. UV sterilizer units placed near the coils of an AC system greatly reduce mold, mildew and bacteria growth. UV bulbs should be changed out every year.
CO2CO2 enrichment of the grow environment can increase plant yield vigor and raise the optimal temperature from 78 degrees to 85 degrees. For plants to use the additional CO2, it’s important to keep temperatures between 82 and 86 degrees. Because cannabis grows faster and bigger when enriched with CO2, the grower often needs to increase the amount and/or frequency of feedings. The two main ways of adding CO2 are burners and tanks. Burners create CO2 by burning either propane or natural gas and create heat and humidity as a byproduct. They’re more geared towards greenhouses and many municipalities do not allow the use of CO2 burners in an indoor setting.
Alternately, tanks are filled with CO2 to deliver gas to the grow. Consult a local CO2 company to find the right configuration. An external tap or external tanks system allows for refills to be made without having to enter the grow environment. Both CO2 burners and tanks should be hooked up to a CO2 PPM meter with a photo sensor. These units only dispense CO2 when the lights are on (or if the sun is up for greenhouses) and keep the grow environment enriched with the proper levels. I run my CO2 at 1500 PPM for most of the flower cycle, and recommend an emergency shut-off system be installed with the CO2 system. Too much CO2 can be fatal and these systems shut off the CO2 and sound an alarm should something happen.
InsulationInsulation will play a major role in how energy affects your grow space, as well as condensation problems you may have to deal with during cultivation. With our temperature swings here in Colorado, having enough of the correct insulation means the difference between a condensation-free grow and indoor rain storms. Traditional fiberglass and plastic bat insulation won't cut it due to the heat and humidity characteristics of a grow environment. I’ve witnessed condensation rain (literally) on plants all day during winter months. This causes mold to grow on the plants and insulation. Instead, use at least three inches of spray foam insulation. It costs more money up front, but it will save a ton of money and headache and heartache down the road.
For more tips visit AlpinStash on Youtube here.
About the author:Danny Murr-Sloat transitioned off 19 different prescription medications and lost 70 pounds with the help of MMJ and the process of learning to grow his own medical cannabis. This journey inspired Danny to develop AlpinStash, the licensed Colorado-based company known for healthy and beautiful cannabis cultivated using all-natural methods. As owner and master grower, Danny oversees AlpinStash’s operations and also consults in the industry on business development, cultivation technique, compliance and transparency. Small-batch, grown-with-love, hand-trimmed and glass-cured to perfection, AlpinStash is a leader in the craft cannabis movement.http://alpinstash.com
Dr. Rosado
August 13, 2020
Does CBD interact adversely or negatively with conventional medications? Does CBD interact adversely or negatively with conventional medications like blood pressure medications, antiepileptic medications or medications for heart disease or cholesterol? This is a question I get quite frequently at seminars, in my private practice, as well as through the internet via emails, etc.
The short answer is yes, there can be an interaction between CBD medical cannabis and your conventional medications. Depending on where the medication is metabolized. For example, Keppra, which is a medication that's used for epilepsy, is metabolized in the kidneys and not in the liver. Therefore there is minimal to no interaction between that medication and the CBD or the medical candidates.
However, the majority of the other medications are metabolized in the liver as is CBD and medical cannabis when taken orally. Therefore, to avoid or minimize any negative interaction between the CBD, medical cannabis, and the regular medications, you want to space it between an hour and a half one between them. For example, you can do the CBD:THC or medical cannabis an hour and a half before your regular medications or an hour and a half after the regular medications. Again, remember that's only if you take it orally.
If you are inhaling it, the probability of an adverse reaction is minimal to none. Why? Because the absorption when inhaled is in the lungs and not in the liver. It is metabolized in the liver a week to two weeks later, and the interaction is minimal at best.
So remember there can be negative interactions between CBD medical cannabis and conventional medications only if they are taken simultaneously. So make sure that there's an hour and a half difference between one and the other when taken orally. When taking in via inhalation, it doesn't matter.
Should you have any other questions, reach out to me and my website josephrosado.com or an email at info@josephrosadomd.com.
Until next time, peace
Memoir of an American Hostage in Iran
Written by Amir Hekmati
What were the biggest challenges of isolation for you?
Isolation is extremely challenging, and the hardest thing I ever dealt with. The Marines, Combat, none were as difficult as sustained periods of isolation. In my case, it was 18 months in solitary confinement, while at one point facing a death sentence by hanging. Many detainees in Evin would beg their interrogators, or guards for physical beatings, if only they could be spared continued isolation. While isolation under COVID19 is nothing like what I experienced, even I find this period of quarantine difficult. Some of the anxiety, and stress I dealt with as a political hostage are being felt again under COVID19. Isolation affects you in subtle ways that compound over time, and if you allow it to manifest you will never be the same. The most difficult challenges were the never ending torment of the unknown. The “when” will this be over, and having to sit helplessly while your life, freedoms, and aspirations pass you by. Ironically, the best things in life begin to turn into daggers inside your brain, and haunt you. Thoughts of time with family/friends, career aspirations, exercise, nature, all the things we hold dear invade your psyche, and torment you while you’re helpless to act.
How can the ways you learned to deal with them help others who are isolating or social distancing today?
In my case, it was survival. If I didn’t win this mental battle I would never be the same, and even if I was released one day, the effects would linger. Without a plan, many of those who left isolation with me continue to suffer to this day, and unable to enjoy their freedom once it was gained. My upbringing, and time in the Marines saved my life by helping me to ‘stop the mental bleeding’ that was happening daily. After a period of shock, and disbelief I learned that I had to accept the situation. I’d say acceptance is the first step, and is key. Isolation is like being in a mental daze, and accepting the situation immediately woke me from that daze, and gave me peace. I just accepted that this happened to me, that I would lose much from this experience, but that would be the worst of it. A mistake many make in isolation is clinging to positive outcomes. Our minds refuse to take the loss. “This will be over soon, and I’ll be back to my normal routine in no time.” is the most natural response, but the wrong one. The “soon” never happens, and we are constantly let down. Our stamina to deal with isolation diminishes with each let down, we become depressed, and walk the path towards mental breakdown. Instead, accept the worst case scenario, cling to the worst outcome, and allow your mind to deal with that outcome, and then hope, and work for a better one. “Amir, you are here for 10 years, possibly going to have to deal with the death penalty, and that’s it. Now how do you want to deal with that? Do you want to crumble here in this cell, and die a miserable death, or have dignity, and live your last days in peace?” When anyone would ask when I’d be released I would say, “never”, “or “10 years”. This is the conversation I would have with myself, which freed me from lots of mental anguish, and gave me peace, and clarity. It's counterintuitive, but it worked for me. Albeit, at this time President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and many others were calling for my release, and constant efforts to secure my release were well-known, I still clung to the worst case outcome. During the near 5 years I was in captivity I was constantly bombarded with false positives that I ignored altogether. Comments from fellow inmates, from family, would
occur regularly, and I would continually be let down. “US Diplomats are meeting with Iranian officials, maybe you’ll be released soon.” Comments like these would only add to my anguish, so I chose to ignore them as much as possible and stick to my plan. I’m not advocating catastrophic thinking, this is a coping mechanism. The same parallel is apparent with COVID19. You will constantly be told that relief is right around the corner. Headlines of breakthroughs in vaccines will be commonplace, but, and there will always be a “but”, the trials are ongoing. Politicians, and pundits will continually promise that the end to this pandemic is “close”. The collective psyche will try to resist the reality, and conspiracy theories will percolate, some will even say that COVID19 is not real, or is a hoax. When we accept the worst outcome we pace ourselves mentally, and our brain adjusts to that new reality. If I was going to be here for 10 years, could I really afford to sit around everyday, and freak out? I realized quickly that 10 years of anxiety would kill me, literally. To survive 10 years I’d need to exercise, read, stay positive, so that I could live again in 10 years when released, and make up for time lost. Our minds are trained to fight the worst outcome by all means possible, but once the mind accepts a particular fate it's amazing how quickly it will minimize that, and find good in it. My first week in solitary I thought I'd be dead by week 2, I was so miserable. Once I accepted my fate, and my mind after great resistance to that reality followed in kind, my mind quickly minimized it. “This isn’t so bad, I’m 28 now, I’ll be 38 when I get out, it's not great, but 38 is still young.” This would be the new mental self-dialogue after acceptance. Human resilience is truly amazing. I realized that when you reach that point where you truly think you can just not handle anymore, that you’ve only reached the beginning of what you can handle. I went from “I’m dead, how can I just end this.'' to “This isn't so bad, I'll only be 38 when I get out, I'll just workout a lot, and read. I’ll still have lots of life to live at 38.” Once we can accept that worst outcome, our mind then shifts to making the best out of it. I started to oddly find good in my situation. I was reading more than ever before, and felt much more closer to God spiritually. Under COVID19, many people are realizing what's important to them, spending more time with family, learning, and if we cling to the best outcome possible, our eyes will remain blind to the beauty in our imposed hardship. Instead of saying, today or tomorrow COVID19 will be over, look out to the worst case scenario, and live your day to day “as if”. As if this will go on for 6 months, a year, 2 years, and adjust your mindset, and day to day based on that worst case scenario. If things improve much sooner than 6 months, or 1 year which I hope they will, then great, but if not, you will be prepared.
How can we deal with anxiety / loneliness / feelings of uncertainty?
(You talked to me about routine, the importance of acceptance, sleep / exercise, staying positive... )
With my new mindset, I went into damage control. I had to have a routine in place, and live in the moment. There would be no daydreaming, or mourning over what was. I had to live “As if”, and that required discipline, and a schedule I would follow religiously. In isolation you lose all sense of structure, and time. You feel disoriented, and lost. What helped me was to forget the longevity of the journey, the 10 years, and live in the moment, and according to my schedule. I broke this long, difficult journey into smaller, manageable time slots. From 8-10am for example I would read. From 8-10am that's all I would focus on. Live in that moment, and within the
confines of your self imposed schedule. This is much more manageable than thinking, “how am I going to get through 10 years?” All I had to do was get to the next milestone in my schedule. “Just focus on reading from 8-10am, that's all I can think about. I won't let my mind wander.” Needless to say, my concentration and focus improved greatly in prison, and in isolation. When 10am would hit, then I'm in the next milestone. “From 10am - 1pm I will workout, that's all I will do and focus on.” In times of crisis, we are often inclined to do the exact opposite of what we should. We pity ourselves, and feel like we deserve it to ourselves to indulge, and “Take it easy”. My view is that we need to do the opposite. Crisis weakens us, mentally, and physically. Many are probably inclined to treat themselves to this quarantine with binge eating, consuming alcohol, and immersing in streaming video, and social media. In prison, inmates would self-medicate, chain smoke, and sit around gossiping about this or that. My view is to do the opposite. General Schwarzkopf said, “The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war.” In crises, we should not, “take it easy”. We should understand we are in a state of war, and need to focus, workout more not less, watch our diet, enhance our immune system, and nurse our inner strengths, and discipline. Isolation is a sort of constant mental battle, like treading water in the middle of the ocean. If you stop treading, and resisting you will drown. Be submerged underwater long enough, and you will endure permanent damage. I would encourage everyone to focus on resilience, not comfort in these troubling times. My hope is that this pandemic will end soon, and we will emerge as stronger, more unified people, and my heart goes out to all those affected.
Cannabis & Nutrition
Written by Jessica Golich
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to acknowledge that the food industry has been taken over by profit fueling motives and unprecedented levels of corporate and political power. The battle of the bulge has reached epidemic proportions and various agrochemical contaminants carry familiar tunes over American dinner tables throughout the country. As cannabis is a flowering plant that is grown in soil similar to the plants that we eat in the form of fruits and vegetables, knowledge of the quality of harvest is key in a time where we know that the substitution of factory and industrial processing rather than artisanal processing diminishes the quality and nutritional content of our food.
When it comes to well-grown cannabis, identifiable factors such as earthy aromas indicate the natural compounds aka the terpene content which helps stimulate the bioactive components that provide healing to your entire body and mind. As cannabis plants require maintenance, so do our physical bodies. As human beings, we naturally produce cannabinoids in our bodies and when you eat to live rather than live to eat, a cumulative effect of a healthy lifestyle punctuated by exercise contributes to dramatic internal and external changes that can transform your entire relationship with cannabis and yourself.
Though I am not a doctor or nutritionist, I have grown knowledgeable that plates of an endless array of nutritionally bankrupt food disrupts the body’s defenses and induces autoimmune diseases and inflammation. As cannabis consumption continues to become more mainstream around the world as liberated minds recognize that cannabis fuels the flame to expand their mental plane, beyond laws and regulations, one of the industries top opportunities for growth stems in cannabis cultivators using highly toxic pesticides to boost the chance of high yields and higher revenue and earnings. As we imagine a world where organic farming methods are the first inclination of cannabis brand owners while choosing their farmers, education is key when it comes to consuming and choosing to solely support companies that organically grow their cannabis.
Providing your body with nutritional sustenance that converts to optimal energy and vitality serves as fuel along your personal quest to fulfill your desires, dreams and everyday activities. Cannabis and food are supplements and tools to create a greater capacity for enjoying life and a change in how you feel stimulates a change in events and circumstances that you experience. May you choose the path of vitality and wellness.
Photo Credit: @acronymoffical
Photo Credit: @acronymoffical
CANNAMOMS
By Moriah Barnhart
When my daughter was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer at the age of two, I didn’t realize how little rights we as parents really have in the United States. I didn’t realize how limited our options are and how politicized medicine is here in the nation that leads the world. Had I foregone recommended treatment, although none were likely to cure her, I was told the State would have taken custody of her and she would undergo those approved treatment options without me by her side. Watching her wake up partially paralyzed after her first brain surgery, seizing, dying and being resuscitated, arms boarded down while intubated, hyperventilating with terror, and me being unable to explain to this innocent baby why she was suddenly being tortured by the people she loved and trusted, changed my perspective on the state of medicine in America today.
Watching your child suffer is the greatest trauma a parent can endure aside from losing them altogether. However, even those whose children do survive physically may in many ways lose their child to the permanent and debilitating side effects of conventional treatment options. Our survival rates are deceiving. Signing off on these treatments is an inexplicably devastating task which leads to irreparable feelings of culpability and regret for many parents, especially for those whose children suffer the most devastating of the known and unknown side effects. Children often die from heart failure or organ damage as a direct side effect of harsh chemotherapies and radiation. Our statistics are skewed.
Quickly into my daughter’s journey, it became clear that I may one day have to choose between saving her life and granting her a quality of life worth living. That is the hardest position any parent can ever find themselves in. Compounding this unimaginable trauma was that in this fight for her life, I was forced to simultaneously fight antiquated laws and corruption. I wasn’t just up all hours of the night watching the rise and fall of her chest for signs that she was still alive, but also now for swat teams and helicopters over our home.
Through her seven years of diagnosis, six of which have been on experimental trials at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, cannabis has been the only thing to safely alleviate her pain or help her nausea and vomiting. Seven years ago, I couldn’t believe that this little plant, one of the world’s safest and most medicinal, was able to revive her childhood and give her back the will to fight and live. I also couldn’t believe that even in these dire circumstances, even in the hospital where no conventional medicine was a guarantee, no one had access to it. Of all the hundreds of medicines she’s taken to date, cannabis is by far the safest. That’s indisputable.
But this isn’t just about my daughter. She’s my world, but everyone has someone they would sacrifice everything for. This is about millions of children like her. Millions of suffering children without cures. Millions of Americans of all ages suffering without cures. This is about vets who don’t know how to reintegrate and can’t shake their sense abandonment. This is about millions upon millions of Americans living with diseases, disabilities, and debilitating (happiness-inhibiting and even suicide-inducing) pain. This is about traumatized parents like me living with PTSD, depression, and anxiety in isolation. This is about alleviating suffering, promoting happiness, enhancing quality of life, and demanding our personal freedoms. This is about compassion and the welfare of ourselves, our loved ones, and our neighbors superseding the corruption that has grown from unchecked power.
Corrupt politics leads to bought science. Bought science leads to bad medicine. Bad medicine leads to an overwhelmingly sick society wherein cures are elusive but unsafe, lifelong treatment options are a dime a dozen. We know that there is corruption in the highest ranks of our government. There is not a single citizen of our country who does not believe that. But when confronted with the direct consequences and potential solutions, we brush these off as conspiracy theories. It’s so much easier to come home from our 9 to 5 in American fashion and open a six pack, watch a reality show, pass out and repeat than it is to really confront the seemingly insurmountable adulteration of democracy we are living in today. We like to think of enemies of democracy as intangible terrorist groups in deserts across the globe thousands of miles away from us here. But our greatest threats to freedom exist within the ranks of power right here in our own backyards.
Brave men and women fight for our freedoms overseas, so I have always vowed to maintain that fight here on our home front. And I hope more people will join in that fight. It’s our only hope.
Partial paralysis
Just before starting cannabis oil (out of a surgery without pain meds due to history of stopping breathing)
Just after starting cannabis oil:
Just after starting cannabis oil
So Why “Let’s Be Blunt”
By: Montel Williams
Welcome to Let’s Be Blunt, a podcast I created in hopes of having blunt conversations with experts and others on topics from cannabis to healthcare and beyond. For years, I’ve received scores of messages on social media from folks whose questions on important topics just weren’t getting answered who were anxious to be exposed to credible information. Let’s Be Blunt is my attempt to move important and interesting conversations.
As we face the unprecedented public health challenged posed by COVID-19, I’ve come to realize that what I’ve been trying to do with Let’s Be Blunt is more important than ever. Each day, I’ve created a Montel Moment to help folks stay balanced and in the moment amidst a deluge of scary and depressing news that is too often all-encompassing and inescapable. In this time of isolation, my Montel Moments are my attempt to help us all stay connected.
Going forward, we’re going to have guests augment their podcasts with blogs that we’ll publish right here. We’ll also invite contributions on important topics from time to time. I want this site to serve as a portal where folks can get answers and broaden their horizons.
I hope you’ll join me on this journey.
